1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foldable tent and more particularly to an instant tent with an integrated ventilation system and rain fly.
2. Description of Prior Art
For novice campers, foldable tents are a popular alternative to conventional assemble-to-use tents. Foldable tents, which are commonly referred to as “instant tents,” “one-touch tents” or “pop-up tents,” are sold preassembled, making opening and closing of the tent easy and less time consuming.
Instant tents are sold in several different designs. One type of instant tent, for example, is manufactured and sold as a structure similar to that of a conventional umbrella as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,617. In those structures, the tent is opened and collapsed by movable sub-braces which are pivotally connected to a central shaft. These structures often times have locking mechanisms on the central shaft to maintain the tent in the open state. Umbrella type instant tents, however, are problematic for a number of reasons which include but are not limited to: (1) the additional costs in manufacturing due to the parts required for the tent, i.e., the central shaft, sub-braces and locking mechanism, as well as increased labor to assemble those parts; (2) the increased potential for failure and necessary repair of the central shaft, sub-braces and locking mechanism; and (3) the increased size and weight of the tent due to the extra components.
To overcome the disadvantages of umbrella tents, an instant tent that does not require a central shaft, sub-braces or locking mechanism was developed. As described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/658,473 (“the '473 Application”), the poles are pivotally connected directly to the hub, and pivot to and from open and closed configurations without additional components. Even though the instant tent described in the '473 Application solved many of the problems associated with umbrella type instant tents as well as the disadvantages in other instant tents, there was room for improvement to develop a better design to accommodate the user.
First, tents in general lack sufficient ventilation. For most novice campers, tents are used during the summer season and often times the interior of the tent becomes uncomfortably warm and sometimes even hot. Moreover, condensation can develop due to the lack of air circulation. Even though tents are commonly equipped with screen windows or doors on one or more sides of the tent, it is difficult to achieve sufficient ventilation unless a wind or draft is blowing directly into an open window or door and out another open window or door. When adverse weather conditions are present, such as rain or snow, the windows and doors must be closed to prevent rain or snow from entering the tent and thus the interior of the tent cannot ventilate. Furthermore, when a user wishes to close the windows or doors for other reasons such as for safety or privacy it is difficult to ventilate the interior of the tent.
Second, even though some instant tents are sold with a separate cover or fly to protect the tent from adverse weather conditions such as rain, sleet or snow, or to provide shade from the sun light, the cover or fly is not integrated with the instant tent and, thus, the user is required to separately attach and detach the cover or fly to and from the instant tent. In addition, because the rain fly typically covers most of the tent including the windows, it is not possible to achieve proper ventilation.